New Hanover man, 75, sentenced for ‘road rage’ incident

NORRISTOWN >> A 75-year-old New Hanover man faces court supervision for flashing his handgun at another driver in Lower Salford during what prosecutors said was a “classic road rage” incident.

Richard Hal Tatum Sr., of the 400 block of East Moyer Road, was sentenced in Montgomery County Court on Friday to two years’ probation after he pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor charge of terroristic threats in connection with a Sept. 6, 2016, altercation he had with another driver at the intersection of Shelly Road and Route 63 in Lower Salford.

Judge Gary S. Silow, who accepted a plea agreement in the matter, also ordered Tatum to forfeit his Ruger SR9c firearm to authorities. As a result of the conviction Tatum cannot possess any firearms.

“It was basically a road rage incident between him and the victim in the case. Basically he pulled out his Ruger firearm,” county Assistant District Attorney Scott Frame said. “He wanted to intimidate the guy. It’s a classic road rage case where people just get out of control on the road. Nobody has the right to pull a gun out and terrorize somebody else.”

The victim told state police at Skippack that he was traveling on Shelly Road about 9:11 p.m. when a red Ford truck was tailgating him and he said he “brake-checked” the truck several times. When the vehicles reached the intersection of Shelly Road and Route 63, or Sumneytown Pike, the driver of the red truck, later identified as Tatum, pulled beside the victim’s vehicle.

The victim told police Tatum pointed a gun at him and said, “You wanna (sic) play get out and let’s play. I have 16 rounds in this gun,” according to a criminal complaint. The victim’s statement was corroborated by a passenger in the victim’s vehicle.

When Frame reiterated for the judge what Tatum said to the victim, Tatum quickly corrected Frame, saying he actually had “18 rounds” in the gun at the time.

“I have a license to carry that gun,” Tatum said in court, claiming he didn’t point the gun at the victim but he didn’t deny he had it out in view.

The victim, according to the criminal complaint, called 911 and followed Tatum’s truck to get the license plate number. Police subsequently stopped Tatum along Park Avenue in Lower Salford.

At that time, Tatum indicated he didn’t know why police “were making such a big deal over an argument he had with some guys on the roadway,” state police Trooper Colin Allard wrote in the arrest affidavit. However, Tatum did reveal he had a gun with him as he operated his vehicle.

In court on Friday, Tatum, who was represented by defense lawyer Julia Lucas, referred to the victim as a “wise ass.” The judge warned Tatum he is to have no contact with the victim or the passenger in the victim’s car as a condition of the sentence.

“Can I tell you a little bit about my background?” Tatum asked the judge during the brief hearing.

Tatum went on to tell the judge he is retired and worked 24 years as a Philadelphia firefighter during which time he received commendations for his life-saving measures.

Lucas told the judge that Tatum has no prior criminal record. Tatum told the judge he was satisfied with Lucas’ representation, calling her “a very nice lady.”

Under state law, by pleading guilty to the terrorist threats charge, Tatum admitted that he threatened to commit a crime of violence with intent to terrorize the victim.